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Officials Try to Rescue Cruise Ship

It was supposed to be a luxurious seven-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera. But two days in, this majestic vacation for thousands of passengers turned into an unpleasant journey on the high seas.

The cruise ship, the Carnival Splendor, set sail from Long Beach California on Sunday. It was 200 miles south of San Diego when an engine fire all but stopped it in its tracks on Monday. No one was injured in the blaze, but the flames stripped the ship of its power, knocking out its operating systems and leaving its 3,300 passengers and nearly 1,200 crew members without air conditioning, internet, or hot food or water. According to authorities and Carnival Cruise Lines, food supplies are running low and the ship’s flush toilets have not been working properly.

"Conditions on board the ship are very challenging, and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring," Gerry Cahill, the chief executive of Carnival Cruise Lines, said in a statement.

As the ship floats adrift off the coast of Mexico, military helicopters are ferrying in emergency shipments of food and supplies. Navy officials said they had diverted the USS Ronald Reagan from training activities nearby in the Pacific and that the ship’s crew had airlifted about 50,000 pounds of food to the cruise ship. Among the items the cruise ship reportedly received were bread, canned milk, boxes of crab meat and even Spam.

Shortly after the Splendor suffered its breakdown, Carnival officials said they planned to rescue the ship by towing it to Ensenada, Mexico, a popular port of call for cruise ships. But on Tuesday Carnival officials said they had changed strategy, and Tuesday night the first of several tugboats began pulling it to San Diego.

“Given the ship’s speed and current position, we have decided to take the vessel to San Diego where it is expected to arrive late Thursday,” Carnival said in a statement. “Additionally, we are in the process of making all the necessary hotel and flight arrangements for our guests.”

The company said however that it could still revert to its original strategy if anything went awry.

“If the ship is unable to maintain sufficient speed under tow, it is possible that we could revert to the previous plan and dock in Ensenada,”

The company said it promised to transport the passengers back to Long Beach, and would provide a full refund to every passenger along with a complimentary trip on another cruise. During its 7-day voyage, the Splendor — a 950-foot ship valued at about $700 million — was supposed to make stops in Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan. Instead, passengers were awoken just after 6 a.m. Monday morning by orders to leave their cabins and head to the ship’s upper deck as crew members put out the fire in the engine room. Passengers were eventually allowed back into their rooms, and emergency generators produced enough power for cold water and limited toilet use.